Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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I have no idea what to do. Alpine is 2 months and 2 days post amp. She has done great! 2 chemo treatments have gone well, she gets around great, up and down stairs and eating like a piggy. She is an 8 year old Great Pyrenees and had her left rear leg amputated due to OS. Her vet has even called her a poster child for chemo!
2 days ago she was outside just hanging out, walking around and such and all of a sudden she yelped and took off running around in circles. I got her in the house and she was really nervous and pacing and such. I got her calmed down and she went into a bathroom and laid down. Now she is staying in there all day (she used to come to whatever room I was in and lay down, she has always been a bit lazy)
She is still eating real well, loves her treats, asks to be petted, drinks water and so forth. I can't find anything physically wrong with her. She will go outside to potty, but then she gets nervous and wants back in. Then she goes directly to her bathroom to lay down.
Any thoughts? Ideas? I am at my wits end as to what to do. Physically she seems fine but she is scared. She used to love to be outside. I just want to ease her fears or whatever is going on. Has anyone else experienced something like this? I am so worried and trying to be strong for my pack so any encouragement or ideas would be so very welcome!!!
Hmmmmm. Sounds concerning. Is she a playful pup? Can you bundle up and go outside with her for a good game of fetch or chase or squeeky toys? Sounds like something spooked her or did cause her a little pain and she's afraid to relive it. If you can distract her from those thoughts while she's out, maybe her confidence will return?
Sorry - I'm assuming you're where it's cold. Maybe not? Could she have gotten stung by a bee? Is there an ant nest somewhere? It seems there is something out there that's winning this fight.
ACL tear in right hind leg 12/5/12 and scheduled ACL repair surgery 12/21/12. Pre-op xrays revealed osteosarcoma. Amputation 12/28/12. Chemo (carboplatin) started Jan 10, 2013 and ended on April 5, for a total of 5 doses. He handled carbo like a champ! No side effects. We started metronomic therapy at his third chemo and have been also doing some holistic treatments. He's a lively, playful 10 year old huskie-boarder collie and a very proud member of the Winter Warriors! Our love. Our funny little guy!
She really isn't a playful dog, never has been. She has her romp-with-brother moments, but those are usually short lived. 
She loves to be outside though. Typically she finds a good spot to lay down and keeps an eye on her surroundings or stretches out for a nap. Very typical Great Pyrenees, this one.
I am in Colorado and it's cold, but she loves the snow and cold. The ants are not out yet, but I did see one bee flying around the other day. It is possible she got stung, that's kind of what her reaction seemed like, but I haven't found any bumps or knots where a sting might have happened. After all this C word junk, I know every inch of her body by touch and nothing has changed.
If it was a bee or something how do I let her know outside isn't scary?? I took her on a leash this morning so she would stay out longer and used an encouraging voice, called her good girl, petted her and so forth, but she still didn't want to stay out long.
Hi Kris & Alpine, welcome to Tripawds. Thanks for registering, your future posts won't require moderation.
So, at first I thought this might be a random incident of phantom pain , but with her being two months out I'm kinda tossing that theory out. I'm thinking it's probably not even related to the amp and really you can make yourself crazy trying to figure out what happened. It's probably best to move forward and try to get her to enjoy being outside again. I know this has got to be so tough to watch!
Well, is she food motivated at all? Is there any way you can leave a trail of treats around the house? Little by little you can expand her circle of safety to get her to want to go beyond her comfort zone. That's my best suggestion at this point, but I know others will have some ideas.
I also want to recommend our friends at MySmartPuppy.com. Their forum is packed with experienced behaviorists and trainers who can help in these kinds of situations, so don't be shy and tell them that Tripawds sent you OK?
Let us know how this turns out, I'm really curious to know.
P.S. We hope to meet you when we're back in Fort Collins in spring! Mom's thinking of having a Tripawds Pawty in either FC or Denver. Stay tuned for details.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
That might work. I will put brother out so he doesn't steal them all before she finds them. I will check out the web site. Thank you for suggesting it!! I can handle the physical issues because there is something concrete that I can do. This emotional/psychological issue is driving me mad!! Maybe mom needs drugs and Alpine will be better.
If there is a Colorado pawty we will see you there for sure!!
I guess the only way to make her feel it's not scary out there is to be out there with her, for her, and act like nothing is different. If she were a playful pup, distracting her with toys would work. But, alas, she's a more refined lady. What about games where you hide treats for her out there? Or, pour yourself a nice drink, and forget about it for a few days. Let her forget about it (and don't make any kind of fuss). In a week or so, she may be back to her old ways!
ACL tear in right hind leg 12/5/12 and scheduled ACL repair surgery 12/21/12. Pre-op xrays revealed osteosarcoma. Amputation 12/28/12. Chemo (carboplatin) started Jan 10, 2013 and ended on April 5, for a total of 5 doses. He handled carbo like a champ! No side effects. We started metronomic therapy at his third chemo and have been also doing some holistic treatments. He's a lively, playful 10 year old huskie-boarder collie and a very proud member of the Winter Warriors! Our love. Our funny little guy!
I think the nonchalance approach is working. I had her come outside several times yesterday. She still didn't want to stay out much but I stayed out with her and just walked around pretending to ignore her. Eating is still great and she branched out her safe space to the office. This morning she woke me up to go outside, did her business and even laid down!!! A little thing but big progress in my eyes. The snow helps, she is definitely a snow dog. She is back in her bathroom, but we are taking baby steps.
We are missing chemo today due to the icy roads, but a few extra days probably won't hurt build her confidence back up. We try to make chemo days like fun field trips!
Thank you so very much for responding and helping. I think sometimes knowing you aren't alone in all this is what helps the most! Grateful hugs to everyone and their furbabies! I will keep updating as she makes progress. 
That's great news! It's too bad it's not nicer outside for you, or else you could bring a book and coffee outside and hang with her more. She'll get there, I'm sure. Take it easy and good luck on chemo day! Let us know how it goes. Come on, Alpine (cute name, BTW), get on back to your business! We moms thrive off that.
ACL tear in right hind leg 12/5/12 and scheduled ACL repair surgery 12/21/12. Pre-op xrays revealed osteosarcoma. Amputation 12/28/12. Chemo (carboplatin) started Jan 10, 2013 and ended on April 5, for a total of 5 doses. He handled carbo like a champ! No side effects. We started metronomic therapy at his third chemo and have been also doing some holistic treatments. He's a lively, playful 10 year old huskie-boarder collie and a very proud member of the Winter Warriors! Our love. Our funny little guy!
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